She folded up her work; and going up to the good old man, took both his hands in hers and kissed him on both his cheeks.

A fine piece of rhetorical action, wasn't it?
And then they all crowded round him, and shook hands with him, and kissed him, and God-blessed him, for their kind, true, old friend; and prayed that every blessing might light upon his noble head, till he passed through them speechless and wandered away to his old friend, the river.
* * * * * About the middle of this week, there arrived two of our former friends, Frank Maberly and Captain Desborough, riding side by side.

The Elders, with the Doctor, were outside, and detained the Dean, talking to him and bidding him welcome.

But Captain Desborough, passing in, came into the room where were assembled Alice, Sam, and Jim, who gave him a most vociferous greeting.
They saw in a moment that there was some fun in the wind.

They knew, by experience, that when Desborough's eyes twinkled like that, some absurdity was preparing, though they were quite unprepared for the mixture of reality and nonsense which followed.
"Pace!" said Desborough, in his affected Irish accent; "be on this house, and all in it.